The best tomatoes for homemade ketchup

We may think of ketchup as solely a condiment for sandwiches and a dipping sauce for fries, but it’s a key ingredient in many recipes, too. Think about it: tomatoes are used in sauces, meatloaf, barbecue, casseroles and baked beans.

You can make your own ketchup with garden-grown or fresh tomatoes from the grocery store.

Which tomatoes should I use to make ketchup?

There isn’t just one variety of tomato that’s best for homemade ketchup. The more flavorful the tomato, the more flavorful the ketchup will be. You can use beefsteak, cherry or grape tomatoes for making homemade ketchup. Use fresh, not canned, tomatoes when making ketchup.

However, paste tomatoes are highly recommended for making sauces, including ketchup. University of Maryland Extension explains that paste tomatoes are less juicy and have meaty interiors, fewer seeds and lack a central core. They’re usually pear-shaped or elongated.

Consider using any of the following paste tomatoes to make your own ketchup: